


Is That A Christmas Market?

by roonilbwazlib



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Christmas Dinner, Christmas Eve, Christmas at the Burrow, Christmas market, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Festive fic, Good Dad Draco, Hogwarts Seventh Year, M/M, Malfoy Manor, Scorbus, Shipmas, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, all fluff no plot, christmas day, draco makes hot chocolate, draco malfoy father of the year, scorbus at christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27822028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roonilbwazlib/pseuds/roonilbwazlib
Summary: As they wove their way through the crowds, Albus couldn’t help but stare in every direction. Scorpius hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said this was the best Christmas market ever.Stalls designed to look like miniature log cabins were dotted around a Quidditch pitch sized garden, and trees of every size glittered with lights and candy canes and real charmed snow. Christmas music tinkled in the background as customers chatted and laughed amongst themselves, and if Albus wasn’t mistaken, a herd of actual reindeer were over there in the corner, surrounded by delighted children.Just a fluffy festive fic in which Albus panics, Draco makes posh hot chocolate and Scorpius receives the coolest present ever. Set during seventh year winter hols and featuring far too many Weasleys (and a trip to the best Christmas market in Wiltshire)!
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 23
Kudos: 85





	Is That A Christmas Market?

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 1st December!! I simply couldn't resist writing a Christmas fic, so here we are. This is pretty much just 13k of self-indulgent festive fluff, but I hope you all enjoy it too! 
> 
> Also, my OC Rosie is named after @LittleRose13, who correctly guessed the ridiculous item that Draco bought from the Christmas market. Rosie, this is ur prize! 
> 
> (follow me on Instagram @roonil_b_wazlib for more fun and games)

“Have you got enough money? Layers? You know Molly will blame both of us if you catch a cold,” Harry said, his hand on his youngest son’s shoulder. 

Albus nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If he packed anything else Scorpius would assume he was moving in, not staying for the weekend, and Draco never let him pay for anything when he was over with the Malfoys anyway.

“OK. Well, have fun, and stay out of trouble. We need you back in one piece on Monday. We’re expected at The Burrow at first light on Tuesday and there’s still so much to wrap -”

“Relax, Dad, please” Albus pleaded. They’d had this talk at least four times already, and Albus knew exactly where he was expected and when. “Everything will be fine. I haven’t even bought all my gifts yet so I can’t wrap them until I get home anyway.”

Harry patted Albus’s shoulder and smiled. “I know. It’s just… this is all new for me. You splitting your Christmas holidays between us and the Malfoys, us going to see Molly and Arthur on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Us having Draco over. It’s going to be so different.”

Albus looked down at his feet. He knew how sentimental his dad was about Christmas, and how much he struggled with change. Family was everything to the Potters (and Weasleys), and it had taken a lot of persuading for Harry to agree to Albus’s new plan. 

He’d been going out with Scorpius for almost a year now, and they both really wanted to spend Christmas together. However, neither wanted to abandon their families completely, so they’d reached a compromise of sorts. Albus would spend this weekend at the Manor, returning on Monday before he and the rest of the Potters schlepped off to The Burrow the next morning to spend Christmas Eve with the Weasleys. They’d all then return to Godrics Hollow for Christmas Day itself, where Draco and Scorpius would join them for dinner. Then, Albus would go back to the Manor with Scorpius that evening and spend Boxing Day with the Malfoys, before coming home once again to ride out the last few days before New Year. 

They’d both chosen to go back to Hogwarts for New Years Eve, as there would be some kind of Ball this year that they were excited to attend as partners. Usually parties weren’t really their thing, but now that they were an established couple things like that felt easier, and were a chance to spend time together doing silly romantic things that other couples did.

Albus smiled to himself. Even though he’d been able to call Scorpius his boyfriend for almost eleven months now, he still felt like the luckiest person in the world whenever he thought about it.

Harry gently touched his finger to Albus’s chin, tilting it up so he could look at his son. 

“I’m sorry if I’m being stressy,” he said softly. “I don’t mind the changes, not really. I know how much Scorpius means to you, and I’m looking forward to trying a new thing this year. Honestly.”

Albus’s smile widened into a grin. He’d originally been nervous about coming out to his family, but Harry and Ginny had taken it in their stride, Ginny’s eyes glittering knowingly as soon as he’d mentioned he “might” have a boyfriend. Since then, they’d both been nothing but supportive of his relationship with Scorpius.

“Thanks again, Dad,” Albus said, leaning forward to give Harry a hug. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Have fun, son” Harry replied, patting Albus on the back before letting him go. “Now get going before Draco Floos here himself to find out what’s going on, you know how he feels about tardiness.”

Laughing at that, Albus grabbed his duffle bag and a handful of Floo Powder from the pot near the fireplace. He ducked under the stone ledge and grinned at Harry one last time before releasing the grains and shouting “Malfoy Manor!” over the sound of the roaring flames.

*

Scorpius threw himself at Albus the second the latter stopped spinning and landed in one of the Manor’s many fireplaces. Albus didn’t even have time to drop his bag before Scorpius’s arms were round his neck and he was pulled into the tightest hug, Scorpius clearly trying to squeeze the life out of him before he’d even had the chance to say hello.

After a hurried kiss where Scorpius missed Albus’s mouth and instead got his nose, they broke apart, Albus laughing and Scorpius blushing adorably. 

“Good afternoon to you too” teased Albus, nudging past his boyfriend and carefully dropping his bag next to the sofa in the Malfoy’s favourite sitting room.

Scorpius laughed, reaching out to grab Albus’s hand and tugging him towards the door. 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, looking straight at Albus with his eyes shining. Albus was once again blown away by how beautiful Scorpius was - he’d never tire of the way Scorpius’s whole face lit up with whatever expression or mood he was feeling, or ever get bored with how Scorpius’s light golden hair flopped in his face and curled around his collar.

“Missed you too,” he mumbled, not so much shy as a bit overwhelmed at having Scorpius right in front of him again. They’d left Hogwarts over a week ago, but things had been so hectic for the Potters in the run up to Christmas that this was the first chance he’d had to see Scorpius since they’d said goodbye on Platform 9 & ¾. They stole another quick kiss, this time hitting the mark before Scorpius dragged him through the doorway and down the hall.

“Dad’s made hot chocolate, he was getting panicky at you being all of three minutes late as the marshmallows are starting to melt,” Scorpius said, rolling his eyes affectionately. “He’s almost as excited to have you over as I am.”

Albus grinned; he hadn’t expected to get so close to Draco so soon, but he’d quickly learnt that the rather intimidating and aloof persona that Scorpius’s dad affected in public was just a front. At home, Draco Malfoy was warm and welcoming, with a dry wit and exceptionally sharp brain. He shared Albus’s love of Potions and Transfiguration, and over the summer the two of them had nattered at length about each subject as Scorpius smiled in the background, enjoying the company of his two favourite people.

As they entered the kitchen Draco stood up from the table, where three overflowing mugs of hot chocolate were indeed piled high with cream and marshmallows and tiny white chocolate stars.

“Albus!” said Draco warmly, stretching out a hand. Albus took it and pulled Draco into a kind of half-hug half-greeting that had become their little tradition. 

It was true that Draco hadn’t been the most affectionate of fathers with Scorpius growing up, but over the last few years his barriers had come down significantly. He now didn’t bat an eyelid at encasing his son in a huge bear hug, and would have done the same for Albus had Albus initiated. However, Scorpius was still the only person Albus felt totally and completely physically comfortable with, and so he compromised with people like Draco and his own Dad with arm hugs and shoulder pats and back claps.

“Sit down, quickly, or the cocoa will be all over the place,” Draco gestured. Albus could see the cream mountains starting to list dangerously to one side as he edged around the table.

“If you didn’t put quite as much topping on they’d be fine” Scorpius laughed, throwing himself into his chair and kicking out one for Albus.

“Tch,” Draco said, pretending to glare at Scorpius. “There is no such thing as too much topping. Albus agrees, don’t you Albus?”

Albus coughed, a white beard of cream covering his chin from where he’d just taken a huge gulp.

“Mmmgree” he said, swallowing the perfectly blended cocoa. Draco ordered it in from France, Scorpius had once told him, and it really was the best he’d ever tasted. “Iss lovely. ‘Xactly the right amount.”

Draco nodded in a satisfied way, sipping at his own mug and somehow managing to not get a speck of cream anywhere near his own face.

“So, I don’t know if Scorpius has already mentioned it, but I thought we’d start the weekend by decorating the big tree in the drawing room tonight. Scorpius didn’t want to do it without you,” said Draco, looking back up at Albus. “And then tomorrow, I planned for us to swing by the Christmas market in the morning, before dropping in on the local church carol concert in the evening.”

Albus nodded along. Everything sounded amazing and he was touched that Scorpius had saved their best and biggest tree for them to decorate together. He and his mum used to do it on Christmas Eve, so Albus knew how special and important the ritual was to his boyfriend.

“And then on Sunday,” Draco continued, “I thought we could maybe have a walk in the grounds, perhaps do a bit of flying over the forest, and play a few games of chess? Unless you two had anything in particular you wanted to do?”

“That sounds perfect” Albus agreed, and Scorpius squeezed his leg under the table. Honestly, Albus would have been happy just to sit in the Manor all weekend enjoying the Malfoys' company - anything else they did was a bonus.

“Great. I’ll take your bag up to Scorpius’s room and let you two catch up properly then,” Draco smiled, standing and giving them a knowing smile. “Dinner’s at 6pm, and I’ll be in my study until then if you need anything.”

Scorpius scooted his chair even closer to Albus as soon as Draco left the room, reaching out and pulling Albus onto his lap in a flail of limbs.

*

As they lay in bed that evening, Scorpius’s head on Albus’s chest and Albus’s legs wrapped around Scorpius’s hips, Albus thought he might burst with joy. They’d had such a wonderful evening decorating the tree, eating gingerbread and drinking butterbeer, and Albus hadn’t felt so at peace for a long time.

Christmas had traditionally always been a bit of a stressful time for him, with too much noise and too many people and the weight of expectation always hanging over him. He’d much preferred the days in between Christmas and New Year growing up, when everyone was too tired and full to want to do anything and he could escape to the sanctity of his own bedroom. 

Here, though, he felt safe. He knew his own Dad had terrible memories of the Manor, but for Albus it had never been anything but a sanctuary - full of space, silence and Scorpius. Three of his favourite things.

He loved his family and was slowly getting used to the Weasleys' way of doing things, but here with Scorpius and Draco Albus always felt like he could just be. The Malfoys accepted him for who he was and never expected anything from him. Draco was content to let Albus sit quietly at meals if he wanted to, and he always respected their privacy. Having James and Lily around at home could be a lot of fun, but it was also exhausting, and Albus usually felt like he never had a minute to himself. At the Manor however, whole days stretched out slowly and lazily, and now that Albus and Scorpius were official, Albus genuinely felt as though he belonged there.

His only regret was that he’d never had the chance to meet Scorpius’s mum properly before she’d died; and he knew Scorpius was sad that Astoria never got to know Albus as Scorpius’s partner. At least Draco had made him welcome from the start, and now that Scorpius and his Dad talked about Astoria a lot more, he felt like he was getting to know her a bit through their stories.

Earlier that evening, Scorpius had told him all about the embroidered star that he’d placed at the top of the tree. It was a bit wonky and all the points were different sizes, and compared to the perfection in the rest of the Manor, it looked a little out of place. Scorpius had noticed Albus staring and explained that one year, when he was only little, Draco had lifted him up to put their usual spun glass star on top of the tree when he’d accidentally tickled Scorpius’s sides. Scorpius had laughed and squirmed, dropping the delicate tree topper onto the grey stone flagstones where it had smashed into a million pieces.

Scorpius had been devastated, immediately bursting into tears and not even calming down when Draco cast a _reparo_ \- as to five year old him, it “wasn’t the same star.” Astoria, thinking quickly, had got up and collected her sewing kit, asking Scorpius to draw a new star on a spare bit of parchment whilst she threaded her needle. Scorpius’s wobbly six point star hadn’t been the neatest sketch he’d ever done, but Astoria had pronounced it perfect and got to work, replicating it exactly with soft felt and silk and chiffon scraps that she’d saved over the years.

They’d all loved the result so much that they didn’t even think of replacing it the next year, or any year after that. Albus had heard Scorpius’s voice wobble as he got to the end of the memory, and he’d felt tears prick at his own eyes. Looking up, he’d noticed Draco sobbing softly as well, and they’d all shared a quiet moment before Scorpius reached up and hung the homemade star in its rightful place. Albus knew it was silly, but it really had felt like Astoria had joined them and had given her blessing whilst they decorated the tree in her honour.

Just then, Scorpius shifted in his sleep and Albus loosened his arms a little. They always got too warm in the night when they shared a bed, but could never resist cuddling for as long as possible. Scorpius was always the little spoon even though he was taller, because he joked that Albus’s wild curly hair scratched his chest too much the other way around. Albus knew it didn’t really, but he didn’t mind being the big spoon. He never fell asleep first, and this way he got to look at Scorpius for longer.

As the clock on the opposite wall ticked softly towards midnight, Albus yawned and finally closed his eyes. Draco wanted to be up and off by 9am tomorrow as the farmers market opened at 10, and Albus wasn’t great at getting up at the best of times, let alone when he was snuggled up in the comfiest bed in the world.

*

The next morning dawned bright, early and cold, and a thin layer of frost glittered over the Manor gardens as the three of them trudged down the driveway on their way to the market. It was a fair walk away, but Draco didn’t fancy trying Side Along with both of them and neither Albus nor Scorpius had passed their Apparition test yet. The market itself would be magical, but there were a few Muggle villages in between the Manor and the grounds it was held in, so they decided that a “normal” method of transportation would be safest all round.

Albus shivered into his too few layers as he regretted brushing off his dad’s advice the day before. One Weasley jumper wasn’t really proving to be enough, and he wished he’d listened and packed a few more just in case. He rubbed his mitten covered hands together - another of Grandma Molly’s gifts - and tugged the matching hat down over his ears. Scorpius and Draco both wore some kind of fleece lined ski hats they’d bought in Austria and looked incredibly stylish, but secretly Albus preferred his own bobbly hand-kitted garments. Grandma Molly had chosen a dark bottle green wool that complimented his eyes (or so Scorpius had told him), and whilst he usually found being at The Burrow on Christmas Day a little overwhelming, he was newly grateful that he got the chance to spend time with people who clearly loved him. Scorpius didn’t have an especially close relationship with his grandparents, and Albus couldn’t remember the last time his boyfriend had even mentioned them, let alone seen them. Lucius and Narcissa lived in France now, unofficially still in exile, and Draco’s face got all pinched when their names got brought up. He knew it was selfish of him, but Albus couldn’t help but be relieved he wasn’t expected to meet the older Malfoys. He thought Harry might finally draw the line at his son being in the same room as Lucius.

“So, who do you still need to buy for Albus?” Draco’s voice cut across the air, his breath coming in foggy puffs.

“Er, Scorpius, you, Lily, James, and my Dad,” Albus answered, counting on his fingers inside his mitten. “Me and James went halfsies on a Broom Kit for Mum, which James ordered last week. And Dad’s got us some Firewhisky to give to Grandad Arthur. So I might also see if there’s anything Grandma Molly would like as well.”

Draco nodded. “And you, Scorpius?”

“Well, I need to find something for Harry and Ginny -” he said, holding up a hand to cut off Albus’s protest. “As do you Dad. And then I wanted to get an extra something for Albus too.”

“In that case, I think it may be wise to split up,” Draco said. “We can have a quick look around together, and then go off on our own to gather our individual bits and pieces. As Scorpius mentioned, I too need to purchase something to take to your house on Wednesday Albus, so I’d be grateful if you could point me in the right direction as to your parents' taste.”

Albus grinned. “Sure, I can help with that. Food or drink is always a winner with Mum and Dad, so we’ll definitely be able to find something.”

“Great. Thank you. And here - take this whilst we’re on the topic -” Draco rooted around in his pocket before pulling out a navy blue velvet pouch filled with Sickles and Galleons. “Anything you want for yourself, mince pie or butterbeer or anything like that, is on me. OK?”

“Thanks, Draco,” Albus said, knowing it was better not to argue and reaching out for the small bag. At least Draco wasn’t also insisting on paying for his presents too. He’d been saving up and had netted enough to get everyone something decent for once, and he was grateful to Draco for covering the extras so he could spend more on the items themselves.

“You don’t have to get me anything else you know,” Albus mumbled to Scorpius as they walked down yet another winding country lane. “I’m just happy you’ll be there with me.”

“I know” Scorpius replied, squeezing Albus’s hand and knocking their shoulders together. “I want to. This market is really good, we’ve been coming to it ever since I can remember. They sell everything. I always see about a million things I want to get for you.”

“Well as long as it is just one more thing and not a million things,” Albus joked, nudging Scorpius back. “Or I’ll feel bad.”

“Not promising anything,” Scorpius laughed, quickening his pace and moving out of Albus’s reach as Albus sighed with exasperation. Scorpius was so happy and smiley and full of energy now, and Albus would give him the world if he could. They’d both come through so much, but things were finally OK. More than OK. 

The past year had been the best of Albus’s life, and despite neither of them needing anything except each other, Albus did want to make this Christmas extra special.

*

They arrived on the outskirts of Stourhead a few minutes before 10am. The market was being held in the grounds of the local stately home, which Albus was thankful to see had warming charms cast all around it. Witches and wizards of all ages shrugged off their coats and cloaks as they crossed the boundary, the adults accepting a paper cup of spiced coffee and the children a hot chocolate as they passed through the entrance. 

Albus took a coffee in a red cup, laughing at how Scorpius scrunched his nose up and asked for a hot chocolate instead. Albus was addicted to caffeine - the stronger the better - but Scorpius claimed it gave him a headache. Draco also chose a coffee, but surreptitiously dumped at least four sugars in it whilst the wizard manning the greetings hut looked away. It really was no wonder Scorpius had ended up with such a sweet tooth.

As they wove their way through the crowds, Albus couldn’t help but stare in every direction. Scorpius hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said this was the best christmas market ever. Stalls designed to look like miniature log cabins were dotted around a Quidditch pitch sized garden, and trees of every size glittered with lights and candy canes and real charmed snow. Christmas music tinkled in the background as customers chatted and laughed amongst themselves, and if Albus wasn’t mistaken, a herd of actual reindeer were over there in the corner, surrounded by delighted children.

He could see why Draco had suggested splitting up, from where they were currently standing Albus could already see at least three stalls that held potential presents and he knew he’d be able to nail everyone’s gifts in no time. He therefore decided to just enjoy the first hour or so wandering around with no real agenda, drinking everything in and just enjoying being there with the Malfoys.

“So where do you want to start?” Scorpius asked, looking from Albus to Draco and back again. “Dad and I usually go down the left side, grab a bite to eat in the food bit and then make our way back down the right, but we can go anywhere you want as it’s your first time.” 

He squeezed Albus’s hand, which had gone from freezing cold to pleasantly warm in the space of about 5 seconds.

“No, that sounds good,” Albus replied. “You two know clearly what you’re doing. Show me everything!”

Scorpius grinned and set off towards the nearest stall, pulling Albus along behind him as Draco followed.

“This lady makes all her own products, it’s enchanted glass - see how it kind of shimmers? It cleans itself and never gets dusty, even if you leave it in the attic or something. And it never breaks!” Scorpius gabbled, pointing at the vases and snowglobes and mobiles and ornaments covering the front of the stall.

“Wow” said Albus, his eye already caught by a delicately twisted bunch of colourful glass flowers. “Lily would love that - she’s super into drying flowers at the moment, Dad keeps finding them pressed in his cookbooks.”

“Oh really? Mum used to do that too! That’s cool. Well, maybe you can get her that then, although you probably want to buy it at the end so you don’t have to carry it around all day.”

“That’s the only floral arrangement I have left,” the witch who ran the stall interrupted with an apologetic smile. “If you do want it I can save it here for you whilst you look around?”

“Oh - oh well, that would be perfect actually, thanks,” said Albus, twisting around to pull his wallet out of his jeans pocket. “How much will it be?”

“Four Galleons,” the witch said, “and I’ll throw in a gift box seeing as it’s the last one. What do you think?”

“Perfect,” agreed Albus, honestly surprised that the beautiful ornament didn’t cost more. “Thank you so much.”

He handed over his Galleons and the witch carefully plucked the flower ornament from its place, transferring it to a little table on her side of the stall. 

“I close up at four, so be sure to be back for it by then” she said, as Albus slid his wallet back into his pocket.

“Even Dad wouldn’t stay here that long,” Scorpius teased, earning himself a glare from Draco. “What? Mum used to have to drag you home when her feet hurt.”

Draco’s mouth twitched, but he somehow held onto his stern expression. 

“At the rate Albus is shopping we’ll have spent up by the time we get to the fifth stall, so I don’t see that being a problem today” he joked.

Albus blushed - he honestly hadn’t intended to buy anything straight away, but the glass flowers really were perfect for Lily.

“No more shopping until after lunch, I promise” he said, not wanting to get to the last stalls and have no money left.

Draco smiled and gently chivvied Albus and Scorpius onto the next stall, which was selling real gingerbread houses that didn’t go off or break apart. Albus immediately thought of Molly, and made a mental note to come back at the end if he didn’t see anything else she’d like. As good as his Grandma was at cooking and baking, she just couldn’t seem to master gingerbread houses, and they always enjoyed a “deconstructed” version instead.

Scorpius slipped his hand into Albus’s as they moseyed through the market, picking at samples of cheese and cake and bread and chocolate and pointing out things they thought their families would like. Albus smirked when Draco couldn’t resist buying a silk snake draught excluder on the fifth stall they came to, and Scorpius groaned when Draco insisted on carrying it round on his shoulders instead of in a bag like a normal person. The snake was charmed to wriggle into place and occasionally flick its tongue out, and whilst it was one of the silliest and most ostentatious things Albus had ever seen, it suited Draco to a tee.

Serendipitously, they reached the food part of the market at around midday. A patio courtyard had been filled with wooden tables and benches of every size, and stalls giving off the most delicious and delectable aromas faced them in a semi-circle. From where they were standing, Albus could see roast hog roast baps, pizzas, curries, Bratwurst sausages, crepes and something called a “Yorkshire pudding wrap” which he was determined to try out.

“Right, I’ll get us a table whilst you two get your food, and then I’ll go up when you’re back,” Draco said, already scouting out a cosy looking table tucked away in the corner of the courtyard.

“Do you know what you want?” Scorpius asked, turning to face Albus. “I’ve had pretty much everything by now so I can help with recommendations.”

“I’m going for that Yorkshire pudding wrap” Albus answered, already making a beeline for the stall.

“Oh they’re excellent,” Scorpius agreed, “And they even do a veggie version. I think I’m going to have a pizza, I’ll be eating plenty of roasted foods over the next week.”

They split up to queue for their food, Albus remembering at the last minute to use Draco’s money and not his own. Draco would have been offended if he’d returned the velvet bag still full, and Albus knew better than to refuse his generosity.

When the wizard making the wraps called Albus’s number, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The pudding itself was at least the size of his head, and there looked to be an entire Christmas dinner rolled up inside it. Albus had no idea how he was going to eat it, but if anything was going to beat Grandma Molly’s efforts, it would be this.

He met Scorpius halfway back to the table. His boyfriend was carefully balancing a goats cheese and red onion pizza on one hand, whilst the other clutched two slightly lilting tankards of Butterbeer. Albus immediately reached out to grab one, realising at the same time that he’d forgotten to get himself a drink and that Scorpius had somehow known this and bought one for him. He smiled gratefully as he took his out of Scorpius’s hands, planting a thank you kiss on his boyfriend's cheek as they sat down and deposited their food safely. Draco copied Scorpius and came back a few minutes later with a butterbeer and a lemon chicken pizza, a topping combination that Albus had never seen before but was assured was “the best one they do.” 

They ate mostly in silence, enjoying the food and the festivities and the anticipation of yet more to come. Albus’s pudding wrap was indeed one of the top three things he’d ever eaten, earning a place on the winners podium alongside Molly’s roast and Lily’s white chocolate and raspberry cookies. 

When they’d finished, Draco cleared their plates away as Albus and Scorpius brushed crumbs from their jumpers. They still had room for a small dessert, and Albus was looking forward to nibbling on a selection of cookies and truffles he’d spied for sale on the stalls they were yet to visit. 

He also still had to actually buy most of his presents, although he knew mostly what he was getting - one of those gingerbread houses for his Grandma, a leather belt for James, a carved chopping board for his Dad and some mulled mead for Draco. He hadn’t completely decided what to get Scorpius yet, but he had a few ideas from the things Scorpius had exclaimed at along the way.

“How about we split up for a while now and buy our gifts, and then meet back here in an hour to do the last few stalls together?” Draco suggested, looking at his watch. “We don’t want the things we’ve earmarked to sell out if we wait any longer.”

“Good idea Dad,” Scorpius agreed, turning to Albus. “Do you want us to separate now too? Or shall I help you get a few bits for your family first?”

“Nah, it’s OK - let’s split,” said Albus, knowing that he might find the perfect gift for Scorpius at any moment. He didn’t want the surprise being spoiled by his boyfriend being there when he did.

“Alright. See you in an hour then - and no peeking at what I’m buying!” 

Scorpius grinned and shot off, disappearing into the crowds gathering around the stalls. The market was getting busier by the minute. 

“If you get lost or need help, send a Patronus - Scorpius tells me you can produce a corporeal one with no problems, is that right?” said Draco, looking at Albus. Albus nodded.

“Yeah, I practiced with Dad over the summer and I’ve pretty much got it nailed now.”

“Great. See you shortly, then.” Draco smiled and turned away, heading off in the same direction as his son.

Albus took a deep breath. An hour wasn’t very long if he had to queue at all the stalls to get James’s, Harry’s and Molly’s gifts, and he needed to look for something for Scorpius as well. He decided to go and buy the gingerbread house, mead, belt and chopping board straight away so he had them, and then use the rest of his time hunting down Scorpius’s gift.

Luckily all the items he’d earmarked for his family were still available, and Albus managed to have them all purchased and stowed safely in his backpack within twenty five minutes. He had just over half an hour to find something for Scorpius and make his way back to the food court, so he decided to work methodically up and down the left hand side of stalls to make sure there wasn’t anything he’d missed.

Fifteen minutes later, and in a mild state of desperation, Albus turned to the stalls on the right hand side. Nothing he’d seen so far felt quite right for Scorpius yet, and he didn’t just want to cop out and buy something Scorpius had seen himself and pointed out. He wanted his gift to be a surprise, and something that Scorpius wouldn’t have expected.

After browsing everything from wand holders to plants to stationery sets to paintings, Albus was almost ready to admit defeat. There were plenty of things he could get, and he knew Scorpius would be happy with anything, but nothing set his heart or imagination on fire. This was their first Christmas as a couple, and even though Scorpius himself would never have any unreasonable expectations, Albus felt the pressure to make it as magical as he possibly could. 

His watch chimed to let him know he had five more minutes before he was due to meet the others, and in despair Albus walked on autopilot back to the very first stall they’d stopped at. He may as well collect Lily’s flowers if nothing else, and just hope that he could duck away for another 10 minutes or so before they left to grab Scorpius a trinket. At this point, Albus supposed anything was better than nothing. 

He reached the glass stall and met the witches eyes; she remembered him from earlier and smiled warmly.

“Ah, hello again,” she said, reaching behind her to take hold of a beautifully wrapped box. “One gift wrapped bouquet, as promised.”

“Thank you so much” said Albus, giving her a small smile.

As he took the box and shrugged his backpack strap off his shoulder, a golden glint to his right caught his eye. He let his bag fall into the crook of his arm as his gaze fell onto a small palm-sized glass star right at the back of the stall. Unlike most of the other pieces, which had been mixed with every colour of the rainbow, it was made of transparent glass. It was also unusual in that it was simple compared to the intricacies of the rest of the stock; completely plain except for the warm glowing light it seemed to emit.

The stallholder followed his line of vision and smiled, pointing to the star.

“You like this? It’s a prototype, I’m thinking of making them ready for next Christmas. Thought I’d bring it along to see if it got any interest. Have you heard of SAD lamps?”

“Err - no?” Albus shook his head apologetically.

“They’re a Muggle invention, quite clever really. Some people - magical and non-magical folk alike - find winter really hard, when it gets dark early and all that. They get something called Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD, see? And for some reason it helps them to stay near a warm light. Makes them a bit happier. Muggle SAD lamps are just that, lamps, but I’ve been wondering if I can take the idea a step further.”

She paused to pick up the little star.

“This here is a STAR device, stands for Stress, Trauma, and Anger Reduction. It’ll glow if you’re near it and you’re struggling with sadness, anxiety, rage, confusion, anything like that, and it’ll help calm you down and refocus your thoughts. It’s not a cure, no magic can do that, but it can be a comfort. And the more intense your feelings, the more intense the light.”

“Wow,” Albus breathed, mind racing. “So now… it’s glowing a bit… does that mean it can pick up on my emotions?”

“Yep, it’s responding to you for sure,” the witch said. “It hasn’t glowed for everyone, which is what I wanted to test. Seems to be working.”

Albus thought back to when he visited the stall earlier, before he was worried about not being able to find Scorpius a gift. The light hadn’t responded to him then, but it seemed like it now knew he wasn’t in quite as good a mood. It was an amazing piece of magic, and a beautiful creation, and Albus suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to give his boyfriend. 

“Can I buy it?” he blurted out, more sure about this than anything he’d seen so far. He especially liked the fact it was a star. A glass star, just like the one Scorpius used to hang on his tree with his Mum. This would be the perfect reminder of that, something Scorpius could keep close all the time, not just at Christmas, and something that itself might help him cope with all the feelings and emotions that thinking about Astoria brought up.

“Well, this one’s just a prototype really, so if you can hang on another year I’ll have a whole proper range out -”

“No, this one is perfect. It has to be right now. Please?” Albus looked beseechingly at the stallholder, willing her to understand. Something in his eyes seemed to resonate with her, as she stopped looking apologetic and nodded.

“OK. You can have it. But I don’t want anything for it - I can’t really sell an experiment, so here, it’s yours. I’ll pop it in another box for you, keep it safe.”

“Oh no, please, let me give you something for it, I insist” Albus argued. He was delighted that he’d finally secured a present, and was determined to give the stallholder a fair price for her work.

“No, I insist,” the witch said, wrapping a bow around the gift and holding it out to Albus. “I hope whoever this is for finds some solace in it. You too, my dear.”

“He will,” said Albus relenting, “Or at least I really hope he will. These are amazing. You should definitely make some more.”

“Well, now I know there’s interest I will” the witch smiled, “though beyond this stall at Christmas I don’t really know where to start selling them. You couldn’t do me a huge favour and tell your friends and family about this one, could you? Just to start spreading the word around?”

“I can do more than that,” Albus replied with excitement, an idea forming. “My Uncle George, George Weasley, he runs a joke shop in Diagon Alley - well, it’s more than a joke shop really, it sells all kinds of things, and he’s a bit of an inventor himself - he’d love this. I could ask if he wants to buy some off you and sell them? He’s kind and decent, and you’d probably make a fortune off them. The shop is always completely rammed.”

The witch’s smile had widened as Albus talked. 

“Really? Well, that sounds like a fine idea. I’d love to speak with your Uncle - George was it? What’s the best way to reach him?”

“Do you have a business card or anything? I’m seeing him in a few days on Christmas Eve, I could give it to him then and tell him all about you and these STARs, and then you could both meet up in the New Year?”

“Perfect - here you go, here’s my card,” the witch said, passing Albus a square of thick parchment with her name scrawled across it in fancy looping letters. “I’m Rosie. I really look forward to meeting your Uncle. I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that you decided to come to market today!”

Albus grinned and shook Rosie’s hand as they said their goodbyes. He was now extremely late to meet back up with Scorpius and Draco, but it had been worth it. He hoped they wouldn’t mind - he’d blame it on a long queue to buy something somewhere - and at least he’d now completely finished his shopping. He could enjoy the rest of the afternoon with no pressure or rush, his gifts nestled safely over his shoulder and his conversation with Rosie making him feel warm all over.

*

The rest of the weekend went by far too quickly, with Albus feeling more at home at the Manor than ever. They’d dropped their things off at home after the market before walking back in the village to attend the evening carol service, at which Albus discovered to his surprise that Draco was actually a really good singer. They’d eaten mince pies and even tried a cup of mulled wine each, which Albus wasn’t keen on but Scorpius seemed to like.

That night, they’d still been too full from lunch and the church snacks to want a full dinner, so Draco organised a cheese board which they picked at as they laughed and chatted and watched Muggle Christmas films together. Draco had installed a Muggle TV in the Manor over the summer, somehow working out how to protect it from going haywire in the presence of so much magic, and Albus had helped him open a Muggle bank account and sign up to Netflix. 

Sunday had then whizzed by as they spent most of their time outdoors, walking in the grounds and flying as close to the perimeter of the Malfoy’s forest as they dared. Draco cooked one of his speciality quiches for lunch and Scorpius made a side salad, whilst Albus warmed up some garlic bread. They ate in the parlour in front of the Christmas tree, and whiled away the rest of the afternoon playing chess and gobstones and some kind of drawing game that Albus had learnt from Rose and Hugo when they were kids.

The more time he spent with the Malfoys, the harder Albus found it to imagine the Manor of his Dad’s childhood. He knew from what Scorpius had told him that Draco would never forgive himself for who he’d been in the past, but he also knew from being around Draco that he worked hard every single day to try and make up for it. A tentative friendship with Harry had gone a long way to change the general public's perception of him, and Albus had even spotted a sympathetic story excitedly “revealing” that the Potters and the Malfoys were getting together over Christmas in last weeks’ edition of the Daily Prophet.

It was strange, how much things changed over time. Albus felt like he’d personally grown and aged more than most over the past few years in particular, and whilst he never wanted to go through the whole “getting lost in time and bringing back the Dark Ages” thing again, he refused to regret it any longer. It had helped him work out his true feelings about Scorpius after all, and whilst he’d have preferred to get together a lot earlier with a lot less drama, they were boyfriends now and that was all that mattered.

*

All too soon Albus’s bags were repacked and he was hugging them both goodbye the following morning, promising to let Draco know if Harry wanted him to come over earlier on Wednesday to help cook the dinner (Albus already knew Harry didn’t, but he couldn’t tell Draco it was because Ginny had outright banned Harry and Draco being in the kitchen together ever since the Infamous Incident of Fourth Year.)

Within five minutes of landing back in Godrics Hollow, Albus was already missing the peace and quiet of the Manor. He could hear Lily shrieking in the living room as her pet pygmy puff got his fur stuck to the spellotape again, James was blasting wizard rock out of his bedroom above and the cooking timer was emitting shrill beeps from the stove next to him. Harry gave Albus a one armed hug as he dashed towards it, where a pan filled with a gloopy caramel-esque liquid threatened to overflow at any moment.

Wishing he’d bought some earmuffs on his trip to the market, Albus headed upstairs to dump his bags and unpack his things, thinking he might as well join Lily and wrap his gifts now seeing as hers was already done. He barely got to spend any time one on one with his siblings in the holidays, as there was usually always at least one Weasley over here or at least one Potter over at The Burrow, not to mention a parade of friends and partners and parents dipping in and out of each other's houses.

“Hey, Lil” Albus said as he shuffled into the living room moments later, finding Lily wrestling a squeaking Olaf off of one of her half wrapped presents.

“Oh hi Al! I didn’t hear you get home. Can you just grab me that roll of ribbon by your feet?” said Lily, as she carefully detached pieces of Olaf’s fur from the spellotape.

Albus lobbed her the ribbon, which she immediately gave to Olaf to distract him as she pulled him free.

“Here, you silly sausage. Get on the sofa and play with that instead, the spellotape is far too sticky for fluffy creatures like you.”

Albus laughed as he settled down on the floor next to his sister, watching Olaf climb unceremoniously onto the sofa and immediately wind himself up in two feet of ribbon.

“He’s a nightmare,” Lily said, although her lip twitched and Albus knew she would literally die for Olaf. She’d only got him back in August, wanting a pet to take back to Hogwarts with her, but the two of them were already inseparable to the point where Lily’s Professors had given up trying to force her to leave Olaf in her dorm whilst she attended lessons.

“Can I wrap my stuff up too? Yours is done so you don’t need to leave, but I can do the rest later if you prefer,” Albus asked, not wanting to disturb Lily if she wanted to keep her gifts a secret.

“Nah, it’s fine, the more the merrier” Lily grinned, shuffling over so Albus had enough room. “I’ve already wrapped yours too so there’ll be no spoilers. I trust that you won’t tell anyone else what I’ve got them.”

“Never,” Albus promised.

Although Lily was thirteen now, she still got just as excited about Christmas as she did when she was three, and wanted every year to be perfect. Albus wasn’t sure how she felt about going to The Burrow tomorrow instead of on Christmas Day, but she hadn’t been weird or off with him about it, so he supposed she couldn’t really mind.

“So, how's Scorpius?” Lily asked, her voice muffled as she tore off a piece of spellotape with her teeth.

“He’s good,” Albus said, inadvertently smiling the soft smile he got told appeared on his face whenever he talked about his boyfriend. “He’s really excited to come here on Wednesday, though I’m not sure he knows what he’s let himself in for.”

Lily laughed. 

“We’ll behave, I promise,” she teased, catching Albus’s eye. “It’ll be cool to have him and his Dad over. What do they normally do instead? Don’t they get lonely if it’s just them?”

“I guess,” Albus shrugged. “I think they both like the quiet though. But it’ll be nice to be together.”

“It’s so sad about his Mum,” Lily continued, genuinely sounding like she meant it. “I can’t imagine losing anyone from our family, and theirs was so small to start with.”

“Yeah” said Albus as he unrolled some parchment paper patterned with trees. “It sucks. But things are better now Scorpius and Draco talk about her more. They both seem happier.”

As he wrapped, Albus thought of the STAR hidden upstairs in his room. He didn’t know whether to give it to Scorpius in front of everyone else when they did presents, or save it for later when it was just the two of them. He didn’t want to not give Scorpius anything after lunch - well, he’d got him some sweets and a new quill too but they didn’t really count as proper presents - but he also didn’t want to bring Astoria up unannounced and make Scorpius and Draco feel sad or embarrassed next to all the Potters.

He guessed he’d just see how the day went, assess the mood of everything as they went along. Maybe he would give Scorpius a heads up that his gift might remind him of his mum, and let him decide when to unwrap it. 

Either way, he couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend's face when Scorpius realised what it was and what it did. Albus really hoped he’d think it was as cool as he did.

*

Christmas Eve at The Burrow was even more frenzied than Christmas Day, probably because everyone was well aware the Potters weren’t staying over this year and therefore tried to get an entire 48hours worth of festivities into one afternoon. 

Harry, Ginny and the kids Flooed over straight after breakfast to maximise their time with the Weasleys, and as Albus had expected Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo drove over shortly after they’d arrived. Uncle Ron proudly told them all how he’d finally (and for the first time ever) managed the twenty minute drive from their place with absolute no mishaps, although a quick glance shared between Rose and her mum begged to differ. Harry and Ron then hugged each other as if they didn’t see one another every day at work, whilst Ginny just laughed and wandered off into the kitchen to find Molly. 

After saying their hellos the kids were then quickly shepherded into the living room where Dom, Louis, Fred II and Roxane were already halfway through a board game and a plate of homemade mince pies. ‘The others’ - which Albus took to mean Molly Junior and Lucy - would apparently be joining them ‘just before lunch’. 

James and Rose both grabbed a mince pie and immediately plopped themselves down next to the game, obviously itching to take part in the next round. Of all the Potter-Weasley-Lupin-Delacours, they were the most competitive, and now they’d arrived nobody else stood a chance at winning. Albus much preferred to watch, never really wanting to get into the ruckus - he liked a quiet but no less brutal game of wizards chess with Scorpius or Draco, or very occasionally with Uncle Ron before he’d had too much Firewhiskey and forgot which pieces went where.

Although he was surrounded by his cousins, and could hear various uncles and aunts and whatnots scattered around the rest of the house, Albus couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely and adrift without Scorpius by his side. He got on with his family better than ever, but he always felt a lot more like himself when Scorpius was there too, holding his hand and reminding him who he was on the inside as well as the outside. 

It was far too much to expect Scorpius and Draco to join them at The Burrow though, for as much as they’d integrated into each other families, an endless supply of Weasleys would just have to wait a while longer - for Draco’s sake if nothing else. The phrase “easing myself in gently” may or may not have been uttered by the older Malfoy when they’d all first discussed potential plans over Firecall from Hogwarts.

Saying that, Albus himself wouldn’t have changed their current plans even if he could - he liked that he’d be seeing Scorpius in his own house, where things would be slightly calmer if not completely calm, and he liked that everyone had rallied together on Christmas Eve so he could still see his extended family and not feel guilty about dragging his mum and dad and siblings away from their usual noise and traditions.

Right now, Fred and Louis were squabbling over who got to buy Diagon Alley in Wizardopoly, and Lily was saying hi to the fairies on the tree. Albus caught Teddy Lupin appear from somewhere and stride over to hug Harry, whilst a set of popping noises from upstairs could only be Uncle George preparing the post-lunch entertainment. If he stood on his tiptoes and peered out of the window, he could also see Uncle Charlie demonstrating some kind of martial arts style move to Uncle Bill in the garden, who himself looked like he’d had a haircut recently (most likely his annual trim at Molly’s behest.)

Albus smiled as he plonked himself down on the patchwork sofa to watch the game. The Weasleys may be chaotic and loud and there were definitely far too many of them to keep track of, but they were also good fun and it was just a day. Just one day, and then Albus got to have Christmas all over again - proper Christmas - with his favourite people in the world. As good as his Grandma’s always cooking was, he couldn’t help but count down the hours until they returned to Godrics Hollow.

*

It was pushing midnight when the Potters finally began to extrapolate themselves from various rooms and conversations, and make a move towards Molly and Arthur’s fireplace. Albus had been chatting to Percy and Lily about some of the environmental work Percy’s department in Magical Transportation was doing, which genuinely sounded fascinating. He had to remember to tell the Malfoys about it - Draco was a well known investor in more modern, greener magic, and from what Percy had told Albus and Lily, the wizarding world might well be looking at a shortage of Floo power in the next five to 10 years. It was imperative that they developed a cleaner option, and fast, and Percy had the ideas but not the funding or connections. It sounded like exactly the sort of venture Draco might be interested in, and it would give Albus another chance to forge a connection between his actual family and his found family.

Albus had also found five minutes to talk to his Uncle George about Rosie and her products, and as expected his Uncle was indeed very interested in the STARS. Albus handed over Rosie’s business card as promised, and George promised in turn to get in touch with her in the New Year.

Eventually, everyone had managed to drag themselves away from whatever they were doing, and after thanking and being thanked for their presents what seemed like a million times, Molly pressed the final tray of leftover potatoes onto Harry and the Potters stepped into the Floo network one by one.

Albus yawned as he spiralled back to his own kitchen; fifteen hours of endless snacking and socialising had definitely taken its toll and he was more than ready for a good sleep before Santa - and Scorpius - arrived at Godrics Hollow. 

“Is everything ready for tomorrow? Do you need me to do anything?” he asked Harry and Ginny as they all arrived home, trying unsuccessfully to stifle yet another yawn.

“Everything’s fine, go get some sleep” Ginny smiled, coming over and stroking Albus’s hair as she pulled him in for a hug. “You don’t think your dad would let things be less than perfect in front of Draco Malfoy, do you?” 

She was teasing, but Albus knew there was some truth to her words. Harry had even found matching cutlery and placemats for tomorrow, something James and Albus hadn’t even known had existed in their house before seeing their dad lay it all out in advance yesterday evening. Albus knew part of it was because his son’s boyfriend would be there, and he would have made the effort for any of his kids' partners - but the fact that Scorpius was a Malfoy definitely added a bit of extra pressure in Harry’s eyes. He really hoped things would go smoothly and not be all stilted and weird just because it was Christmas.

“Shh,” said Harry, knocking Ginny’s shoulder on his way past. “We better get some sleep ourselves, I have to be up at 6.30 to baste the turkey. Though I can’t imagine eating another bite after lunch today.”

He looked down at his stomach and made a face, ducking out of the way as Ginny stretched out a finger to poke him. 

“Oi, nobody asked you to eat eighteen chipolatas. Your suffering is your own fault.”

“Yeah Dad,” James smirked as he made to squeeze past them, Lily at his heels. “Just because Uncle George bet you you couldn’t didn’t mean you had to prove him wrong.”

“George bet you what? Oh for Merlin’s sake, it’s like the two of you never grew up,” Ginny grumbled, throwing her arms up in the air in mock annoyance. 

From where he was standing, Albus could see her mouth twitching, and he knew his mum secretly liked how close Harry was to her brother. Albus had never met Fred the First, but he knew what it must be like for George to feel a bit lost in a family of that size.

“You love it,” Harry teased his wife back, pinching Ginny on the bum as James yelled “Gross!” from the doorway.

Albus just shook his head as he climbed the stairs after James, nervous but excited about what tomorrow would bring. Even if his family did get weird or overwhelming, Scorpius would be there, and he had going back to the Manor to look forward to in the evening. He might even see if he could extend his stay. 

For the first time in a long time, he was really and truly excited to welcome Christmas Day.

*

Albus woke up the next morning before Lily, a feat which hadn’t occurred for at least the last eleven years. It was still dark outside and the rest of the house was silent, which meant it mustn’t even be 6.30am yet or his dad would be bumbling around downstairs, swearing as he wrestled with the obnoxiously large turkey he’d bought last week.

If he thought it would do any good, Albus would have tried to turn over and go back to sleep for a few hours, but now he was awake he knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until Scorpius and his Dad arrived. They weren’t even due until around 11.30, so Albus knew he had a while to wait, but hopefully time would pass in the usual fast and chaotic way as soon as everyone else got up.

Five minutes later, he frowned as he felt his toe meet something square and hard at the bottom of his bed. Reaching down, he was touched to see his childhood stocking nestled in the folds of his duvet. His mum must have stayed awake and put them out after everyone had fallen asleep; they hadn’t done stockings for years. 

He reached inside and saw a hastily scribbled note in her writing.

_Al, this arrived by owl at around 3am - the poor thing ended up coming to our window as it couldn’t seem to rouse you! I popped it in your stocking so it wouldn’t get lost. Mum xx_

Confused, Albus reached even further into the stocking, finding a roughly wrapped box and a crumpled envelope. His heart quickened as he recognised Scorpius’s writing. Why had Scorpius sent him a present at 3am? Did this mean something was wrong? Were he and Draco not coming anymore?

Now fully awake, Albus slit open the envelope with shaking hands. Inside was a card, which he immediately skimmed and slowly felt his breathing go back to normal. As he got to the end he smiled, and settled back down on his pillow to read it properly.

 _Happy Christmas Albus!_ The card read. _I know we’re seeing each other in a few hours, but I wanted you to have something from me to open as soon as you wake up. Hopefully next year we’ll be waking up together :)_

Albus looked again at the little box, feeling a bit overwhelmed at how thoughtful his boyfriend was - and more than a bit excited at the prospect of them spending the whole holiday together one year. Next year?

_Anyway, this isn’t your main present, but I saw it at the market and I just knew you had to have it. It was made for you, just like you were made for me. I hope you like it - I love you and I can’t wait to see you later!_

Fingers trembling, Albus placed the card on his bedside table and picked up the small square parcel. It was wrapped in brown paper that gave no clue as to its contents, and it wasn’t exactly heavy, but it did rattle a little when Albus gave it an experimental shake. He carefully pulled apart the spellotape holding the edges together and let the paper unfold, dropping a small cardboard box onto his lap.

When he opened the lid, Albus couldn’t help but laugh. He knew exactly which stall Scorpius had got this from - the one manned by an eccentric old carpenter wizard they’d met just before lunch, who himself had reminded them of the Muggle Santa. 

Scorpius had chosen a tiny carving of a mole half hidden inside a mole hole, which was charmed to pop its head in and out every time someone prodded the wooden mound. The wizard had also been doing personalisations, and as Albus turned the wooden creature upside down he saw a tiny message etched into the bottom. 

_Here’s to the next 40 years!_

Albus felt such a rush of love for Scorpius that he started blushing even though he was alone in his bedroom. He knew that it probably wasn’t the done thing amongst couples their age to talk about their future in 40 year increments, even as an in-joke, but he also knew that he and Scorpius weren’t a typical couple. The fact that they were best friends, practically family already, meant that each of them had known going into their official relationship that this was it for them. They might only be 17, but Harry had been with Ginny at that age, and Draco had married Astoria at 20. Forever meant forever to Albus, and Scorpius’s gift was the sweetest reminder that they were on the same page.

Clutching the little mole, Albus tossed back his duvet and stood up, grabbing his dressing gown off his armchair with his other hand. There was no way he was going back to sleep now, so he may as well head downstairs and wait for the others to get up. He was in such a good mood he even thought he might offer to help Harry with the turkey.

*

Later that morning, Albus was feeling just as happy but increasingly more impatient and exhausted as the minutes ticked by. The Potters had decided to exchange their own presents after lunch this year, so that Scorpius and Draco could get involved and not feel awkward when it came to doing theirs. However, without gifts to distract her in the morning, Lily was an even bigger ball of energy than usual and James seemed to want to fill the hours they’d usually spend faffing about with their new things on learning a dance for TikTok. 

Albus hadn’t bothered getting a mobile phone; he was content enough to owl and visit Scorpius in the holidays and when they were both at Hogwarts there was no-one else he wanted to speak to that urgently. James was obsessed with his though, and something of a star on the Muggle social media accounts. His followers (mostly Muggles) thought he was some kind of tech wizard given the kind of unexplainable things James often uploaded, and Albus was just waiting for the day when one of them realised they were a lot closer to the truth than they expected. Albus was pretty sure Harry didn’t have a clue about the actual magic his eldest son was showcasing for all to see on the Muggle internet, but now that he and James were friendly, Albus felt like he couldn’t break their brotherly bond to snitch.

Lily also had a phone but mainly used it to text her old friends from her Muggle primary school, who she’d somehow managed to keep in touch with without revealing anything about where she now spent term time. She didn’t bother with social media herself but was a regular feature on James’s channels in the holidays, given that Albus always said no and James never left either of them alone if he was bored.

Right now, he was trying to teach himself and Lily some moves to “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, by a Muggle singer called Mariah Carey. The crowd-sourced dance was apparently ‘trending’ that year, though what James hoped to add Albus didn’t know. Lily was a lot more graceful than her brothers, but Albus supposed James at least had comedic value. That was probably a big part of his charm. 

Albus was torn between staying to watch them - he’d been tasked with making sure Olaf didn’t get in shot - and ducking into the kitchen to help with dinner. Harry had clearly bitten off more than any of them could possibly hope to chew this year, and was in the process of making at least twenty different dishes. The few times Albus had ventured into the kitchen already he’d been asked to pass, hold, move or stir something different, and Harry was becoming increasingly more stressed by the hour. Ginny had long since poured herself a Snowball and settled down by the tree with a tray of biscuits and a book, claiming that the gravy she’d helped Molly make yesterday was ‘her fair share done and dusted’. Albus knew he’d be ever more restless until Scorpius arrived, and he wished he could settle down with a book too, but nothing in the house piqued his interest and he’d only brought homework back from school. 

It was now just after 10.45am, hours and hours after he’d first woken, and still almost an hour until Scorpius was due to join them. Albus was just considering whether he wanted to head out into the garden for some fresh air and peace and quiet when he heard the tell-tale swoosh of the fireplace splutter into action, quickly followed by a metallic crash and and a voice that sounded very much like his dad swearing in shock.

Albus shot into the kitchen just as Draco Malfoy climbed elegantly out of their fireplace, brushing soot off his robes and flicking his ponytail back over his shoulder. Albus was just about to say hello when he got a face full of Scorpius, who it seemed had knocked over a pan of simmering cranberries in his haste to find Albus. 

Scorpius was blushing as he grinned, and Harry - now he’d calmed down from the surprise of two Malfoys appearing unexpectedly in his kitchen - was beaming too, and extending an oven-gloved hand out to Draco to shake.

“Sorry about the early hour of our arrival,” Draco was saying. “I simply couldn’t keep Scorpius in the Manor a moment longer. You’d think he hadn’t seen Albus for months, never mind 48 hours.”

“Oh, it’s fine, you’re welcome anytime,” Harry said easily. “Al’s been the same, hasn’t stopped mooning around since Monday morning.”

They both turned to gaze fondly at their sons, who were enjoying a soft Christmas kiss in the doorway.

“Eww, gross,” James said as he came to investigate; clearly all the noise had interrupted his filming. “You’re as bad as Mum and Dad Al.”

“Shuttup James,” Albus threw back half-heartedly, his voice muffled from where his head was now tucked into Scorpius’s shoulder.

“What was that banging noise? Oh, hello Draco, Scorpius, we didn’t expect you so soon.” Ginny had followed her eldest son into the kitchen, and was looking around at a floor covered in sticky cranberries and smiling Malfoys.

“Sorry, Ginny. I was just telling your husband that Scorpius wouldn’t wait any longer to come over. He did say that Albus had mentioned it was OK to turn up whenever, so I do hope we’re not intruding on anything -”

“Not at all,” said Ginny, her easy tone matching Harry’s. “I’m glad of the company. Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas to me without a house full.”

“Thank you again for inviting us,” Draco answered, before glancing at the chaos around them. “Harry, if you want any help preparing the food I’m more than willing to roll my sleeves up?”

Albus caught the look of horror on Harry’s face before he masked it, waving Draco away.

“No, no, it’s fine, everything’s in hand. Well. Almost in hand. Nearly. It will be - except for the cranberry sauce, which I don’t think I have time to do again -”

They all turned to look at the upended pan, Scorpius scrambling to apologise. Harry waved his hand again, smiling.

“It’s fine, Scorpius, honestly, I think I’m the only one who eats it anyway. And I could do with the hob space. I’m aiming for everything being ready at 12.30, so if you all want to go and amuse yourselves I’ll keep soldiering on -”

Albus pulled Scorpius down the hallway as Ginny led Draco into the living room, offering him a Snowball and telling Lily to move Olaf and make room on the sofa.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Albus said as they headed towards the stairs. “And thank you so much for the mole, I love him.”

“I’m glad too, and I’m especially glad you like Hector,” Scorpius grinned, keeping hold of Albus’s hand as Albus stopped on the bottom stair.

“Hector?”

“Yeah, I named him for you,” Scorpius said, eyes widening innocently. “I think it suits him.”

“Hector it is then,” Albus agreed. He looked upstairs and then back at Scorpius. 

“So... I kind of got you a few things, and one of them is a bit… it’s... I don’t know if you want to open it in front of everyone else…”

He blushed as he saw Scorpius’s cheeks turn red, and suddenly realised how that sounded.

“No! It’s not… _that_. It’s not anything inappropriate,” Albus tried, and Scorpius looked as though he didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. “It’s kind of soppy and it might make you sad but hopefully it won’t, I hope it’ll make you the opposite of sad actually, wow I’m not explaining this very well sorry -”

“Albus,” Scorpius said softly, “It’s OK. I’ll love anything you’ve chosen for me. Why don’t you give it to me now, in your room? Dad’ll be distracted for a few more minutes, especially if your Mum is giving him cocktails.”

“OK” Albus said, planting a quick kiss on his boyfriend's still burning cheek. “Come on then.”

They rushed up the stairs before anyone could see them and make assumptions, and Albus left his bedroom open a few inches to signal that they really weren’t doing anything inappropriate if Lily or James did happen to come by.

Scorpius plopped himself down on Albus’s bed as Albus headed to his wardrobe. He’d covered the STAR box in some of Lily’s midnight blue crinkly paper and tied a massive (but rather messy) silver bow on top; it didn’t look all that impressive compared to the box that Rosie herself had giftwapped but Albus hoped that his effort showed.

“Here,” he said, coming over to the bed and holding it out for Scorpius. “I think you should just open it, and then I’ll explain what it is.”

Scorpius looked intrigued and excited as he took the present and carefully undid the bow, setting it beside him on the duvet. He lifted the box up to his ear, giving it a few experimental shakes as he glanced at Albus.

“It’s not alive” Albus laughed, and Scorpius grinned.

“I’m totally at a loss what it IS,” he said, hands hovering over the edge of the wrapping paper.

“Open it then!” said Albus, plonking himself down next to Scorpius and accidentally squishing the bow even further.

Scorpius slid his finger under the patch of spellotape, gently pulling it away until the edge of the paper came free. He unravelled the box from it’s wrapping, holding it tightly so it didn’t fall.

Albus held his breath as Scorpius opened the lid and gazed down at the little glass star nestled in the bottom. It was emitting a very faint glow.

“Wow, Albus, it’s so pretty” Scorpius said, reaching in to pick the star up. As he did so, the light turned warmer and yellower, making Scorpius gasp.

“It’s a STAR,” said Albus in a rushed voice. “Stands for Stress, Trauma and Anger Reduction. They’re new, from the market, the -”

“ - lady who makes the unbreakable glass ornaments,” Scorpius breathed, smiling in wonder. “But I’ve never seen any of her things do this before.”

“No, it’s new” Albus said, relieved that Scorpius seemed to be a fan of the STAR already. “She’s only made that one, she’s going to make more for next year now she knows they work. They’re kind of like a mood reader, and they make you feel happier or calmer if you’re stressed or upset. I thought… I thought it might be nice to have around, you know, when you have the nightmares or get sad about your Mum. Because of the shape too. It’s like that star on the tree you told me about. I thought it might remind you of her and the happier times.”

Scorpius didn’t say anything, and Albus suddenly worried that he’d got it wrong and that it was too much. He was just about to apologise when Scorpius looked up to face him, and Albus saw that he was crying - but smiling at the same time.

“Albus, it’s perfect,” Scorpius said, his voice wobbling. “That’s so thoughtful - I can’t believe you found it - I love it, Albus. I really love it.”

He cupped the STAR and held it close with one hand, as his other reached around Albus’s shoulders and pulled him in for a one-armed hug.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing the top of Albus’s head.

“I love you too,” Albus replied, shifting so that he could reach and pull Scorpius in for a proper kiss. “And I’m so glad you like it.”

“It’s the best thing anyone has ever given me, ever” Scorpius mumbled against Albus’s lips. “I’m never letting it out of my sight.”

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, kissing and hugging before Scorpius wiped away his tears and placed the STAR back in its little box. 

“Come on - I have to show my Dad. He’s never going to get over this,” he said as he stood up and made for the door. “Next year I’ll get him one. One for every room of the Manor!”

Albus felt his heart leap as he followed Scorpius back downstairs, happy and relieved that the gift had gone down well. He made a mental note to tell Uncle George to warn Rosie to up her Christmas stock next year, as Albus had no doubt Scorpius would make good on his promise to buy the entire stall for Draco.

*

The rest of the day was the best Christmas Day Albus had ever had. They’d ended up doing presents before lunch, right after Scorpius had shown everyone the STAR. Lily had rightly claimed that “the present seal had been broken”, and if Scorpius had had his then there was no reason why everyone else had to wait. 

Everyone loved the gifts Albus had picked out for them at the market, and he in turn was quietly delighted with the things his family had chosen for him. Lily had painted a portrait of him and Scorpius together and gifted it to them both; Albus had no idea when she’d gotten so good but he was blown away by the emotion his sister had managed to capture in her brushstrokes. There was no doubt that the Albus and Scorpius in the painting were in love, and although they didn’t move like magical portraits, they didn’t need to speak or kiss to show how much they cared for each other.

James had got him a plant, which Albus was pretty sure Neville had helped him procure - Albus had been talking to his godfather about wanting something dangly but easy to care for to keep above his bed in the Slytherin dorm, and this looked suspiciously like a cutting from Neville’s very own extensive collection. Either way, Albus was touched at the thought and effort behind it. James usually gave everyone joke products he’d got on discount from Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, so this year definitely marked a step-up.

Albus had also been pleasantly surprised at the gift from his parents. Harry and Ginny had presented him with his very own wizarding wireless system, which came with a pair of magical headphones that continued playing the songs even if you had to go somewhere else and leave the wireless behind. Draco had then followed that up with a brand new chess set for Albus, which was exactly like the one they enjoyed playing together in the Manor.

It didn’t escape Albus’s notice that all of the gifts he’d gotten could quite easily be taken with him to furnish a new place, his own place - or even one with Scorpius. They both turned 18 during the first half of the next year, and it was so far an unspoken and yet assumed plan that they’d move in with each other after they finished at Hogwarts. Albus really couldn’t wait, and he couldn’t help but wonder if by next Christmas, they’d be visiting from their very own flat instead of shunting between each of their parents' houses. The thought made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and he could tell Scorpius was thinking the same thing by the amount of hand squeezing and kisses that passed between them as the day went by.

All in all, it may have taken a few years more than necessary for them to officially get together, and for their families to finally accept each other, but Albus wouldn’t change any of it for the world. If somebody had told the Albus of fourth year that his Dad would one day be cooking Christmas dinner for Draco Malfoy, he’d have laughed in their face. Now, as they passed each other sprouts and potatoes and carrots and stuffing and laughed over too much wine, he realised that his dad and Scorpius’s dad had actually become friends. Real friends, not just the polite pretending they used to try and get away with before their sons were dating.

Albus smiled, and speared another parsnip. Friends was good. Friends worked. Although, he did kind of hope they’d all be a family one day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to anyone who read this far! I hope you liked it, and I hope you also have a wonderful winter/Christmas period, whether you celebrate or not! :)


End file.
